USDA to fund food security, waste reduction projects

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture this month announced $24 million in grant opportunities and cooperative agreements to support urban agriculture, food access, composting and food waste reduction.

USDA officials said the goal of the funding is to strengthen the food supply chain and make the nation’s food system fairer and more competitive.

“Investing in urban agriculture innovations helps us build a fairer, more transparent food system and promote equity by increasing nutrition security and economic opportunity in underserved communities,” said Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Terry Cosby. “These projects will help urban farmers create new, more affordable, and better local market options and help urban communities produce fresh and healthy food locally, reducing food waste while building nutrient rich compost.”

USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production will award $14.2 million for planning and implementation projects that expand the efforts of urban and suburban farmers and speed up the use of promising practices. The deadline to apply is Aug. 2. More information is here.

The agency will also award $10.2 million in cooperative agreements for pilot projects addressing composting and food waste reduction in urban areas. Applications for these projects will be accepted through Sept. 1. More information is here.

Source: USDA